Mongolian press began in 1920 with close ties to the Soviet Union under the Mongolian Communist Party, with the establishment of the Unen ("Truth") newspaper similar to the Soviet Pravda.[68] Until reforms in the 1990s, the government had strict control of the media and oversaw all publishing, in which no independent media was allowed.[68] The dissolution of the Soviet Union had a significant impact on Mongolia, where the one-party state grew into a multi-party democracy, and with that, media freedoms came to the forefront. A new law on press freedom, drafted with help from international NGOs on August 28, 1998 and enacted on January 1, 1999, paved the way for media reforms.[69] The Mongolian media currently consists of around 300 print and broadcasting outlets.[70] Since 2006, the media environment has been improving with the government debating a new Freedom of Information Act, and the removal of any affiliation of media outlets with the government.[71][72] Market reforms have led to an increasing number of people working in the media year on year, along with students at journalism schools.[71] In its 2008 report, Reporters Without Borders classified the media environment as 93rd out of 173, with 1st being most free.[73] Dinosaur fossil sale controversy On May 20, 2012, a rare skeleton of a Tarbosaurus bataar, also known as Tyrannosaurus bataar, was sold to an undisclosed buyer for $1,052,500 at an auction in New York City, USA, despite efforts by Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhia to stop the sale. The Mongolian government is concerned about maintaining control over fossils and cultural relics while scientists worry about such items disappearing into private collections
